Summer is finally here. The sun is shining, the crickets are chirping, the ice cream truck is ringing its bell...and your entire family is glued to the couch, trying to escape the heat with air conditioners and fans.

Why not beat the heat in a more inventive way this summer by taking a trip to Sesame Street? The magic of the age-old children’s television show comes to life in Sesame Place, a theme park devoted to bringing the show and its values to children through play.

Located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, this 14-acre park offers more than three dozen interactive activities, including water attractions, an action-packed roller coaster, choreographed live stage shows and more.

Families can start their day at Sesame Place by having breakfast with the characters of Sesame Street. While popular characters mingle and pose for pictures, you and your family can enjoy a delicious early bird breakfast buffet from 9:15-10:15 a.m. Indoor and outdoor breakfasts are available for families to spend some up-close, quality time with Big Bird and all of his friends.

The outdoor Breakfast with Cookie Monster & Friends is $14.95 plus tax for adults and $12.95 plus tax for kids ages two-11. Breakfast with Elmo & Friends, which takes place indoors, is $16.95 plus tax for adults and $13.95 plus tax for kids ages two-11.

After breakfast, the family can take part in various rides and activities including Sesame Place’s newest attraction, Elmo’s World, a 21,000-square-foot Elmo-themed area within the park that opened this year.

In Elmo’s World, children and their families enter Elmo’s imagination through an Elmo Walkway and, like the segment on Sesame Street, are transformed into a crayon-colored world of fun. Kids will enjoy pretending with Elmo on three new rides as they soar into space on Blast Off, hop on the fins of an Elmo fish on Flyin’ Fish and wiggle through a garden of giggles on Peek-A-Bug.

Outside of Elmo’s World, there are countless activities to challenge and entertain children of all ages. Big Bird’s Balloon Race carries your family up 40 feet on a balloon tower ride for a bird’s eye view of the park.

On Cookie Mountain, kids try to scale a slippery vinyl cone “mountain,” while Ernie’s Bed Bounce features a huge, springy air mattress perfect for jumping and leaping.

Nets ‘n’ Climbs consists of hundreds of yards of cargo netting reaching three stories high, connected by 200 feet of suspended tunnels that challenge children and parents alike.

In Little Bird’s Court & Big Bird’s Court, pre-school age children can venture through mazes and forts and play with a variety of activities.

Another popular attraction within the park is Sesame Neighborhood, a full-size, outdoor recreation of the classic Sesame Street television stage show set, where children can interact with some of their favorite Sesame Street friends.

In Sesame Neighborhood, families can visit 1-2-3 Sesame Street, where Bert and Ernie live; Mr. MacIntosh’s Fruit Stand, where children can “shop” for produce; and Sesame Street Engine House No. 1, featuring a fire engine that kids can climb up on and pretend to be firemen.

The more competitive members of your family can try their luck in Sesame Playhouse, where guests young and old win prizes by playing challenging games of skill, ranging from boardwalk-style games such as ring toss and basketball to multi-player race games. Toddler-sized games, such as Ernie’s Duck Pond and Elmo’s Garden Grows, are available at Sesame Playhouse as well.

A trip to a theme park may feel incomplete for some without a ride on a roller coaster. Children will find action and thrills on Vapor Trail, the steel roller coaster that transports riders on a twisting, turning mission to the outer limits of the solar system.

With so much playing outside, families are bound to feel overheated. This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of Sesame Place’s water attractions, where every member of the family can get wet and cool down.

Kids and adults might enjoy a relaxing float in an inner tube down Big Bird’s Rambling River, a 1,000-foot waterway throughout Sesame Island. The route takes your family past bubbling, swirling waters, under palm trees with water-filled tipping coconuts and through waterfalls and spraying geysers.

Water slides at the park include Bert & Ernie’s Slip & Slide, which features two intertwining body flumes leading to a splash pool finale; Slippery Slopes, where riders shoot down 75-foot slides into a splash pool; and Sesame Streak, which kids and parents can enjoy together in double tubes.

For younger children, Count’s Fount has wading pools with nets, a waterfall and sprays. Children five and under can play on an activity slide in a shallow pool in Dorothy’s Fishbowl. Ernie’s Waterworks is a fun-filled interactive water adventure in which younger children can frolic in fountains and crawl through water-spraying mazes.

Little Bird’s Birdbath offers an area where parents can lounge and relax while watching their children play in a pond with fountains and a cascading water umbrella.

Other water activities created with young children in mind include Slimey’s Chutes, a double slide inner-tube ride, and Teeny Tiny Tidal Waves, a 10,000-square-foot wave pool with a maximum depth of 24 inches.

Entire families can enjoy the popular attraction Sky Splash, where up to six guests can ride together for family fun in a large, raft-like tube. Riders glide under an array of whimsical, oversized toys. Rising more than six stories, this exhilarating ride travels from gentle “sky” ponds with whirlpool-like jet streams to accelerator slides with speeds up to 20 feet per second, culminating with a final plunge into a pool of water.

Bathing suits are required for all water activities, and swim diapers must be worn by children who are not toilet trained. Water shoes are also recommended for water attractions.

Swimming and splashing has a tendency to make children hungry. If you missed the Breakfast with Big Bird and Friends, or simply can’t get enough of the Sesame Street characters, take the opportunity to Dine with Big Bird and Friends for lunch or dinner. Special appearances by the characters accompany upscale entrees for adults and a children’s menu. Dinner with Big Bird and Friends is $26.95 plus tax for adults and $15.95 plus tax for kids ages two-11.

Other dining options at Sesame Place include Elmo’s Eatery, Captain Ernie’s and Sesame Café, as well as a variety of snack areas.

The entertainment at Sesame Place includes several live shows for families to enjoy. Big Bird’s Beach Party features a wide array of characters, interactive sing-alongs and dancing with the audience. In Elmo’s World, Live!, Elmo explores the concept of dance, and guests in the audience will be able to join him on stage with his friends.

Other live shows at the park include Gotta Dance!, with children’s recording artist David Jack, and Oscar’s Big Game Show, which features contestants chosen from the audience competing on stage.

The “Rock Around the Block” Parade is a tribute to music and dance, complete with star-studded floats and colorful, larger-than-life inflatables of Sesame Street characters. The characters dance their way down Sesame Street to the beat of different styles of music, and children will be given the chance to participate as well.

Throughout the day, as part of Sesame Street Star Greetings, characters like Zoe, Grover, Telly Monster and others stroll through the park with hugs for everyone. Picture opportunities abound at 1-2-3 Smile With Me!, an interactive area where families can take photos and share a hug with Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo.

With several gift shops and merchandise carts to choose from, families will have the chance to take some of the magic of Sesame Place home. Shops like Finder’s Keepers and Mr. Hooper’s Emporium have Sesame Street and Sesame Place keepsakes available for purchase, while Trader Bert’s Treasures and Oscar’s Garage carry essentials like swimwear and cameras.

At Dress-A-Character, families can choose their favorite Sesame Street characters and dress them in a variety of clothing and accessories..

Sesame Place is open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. throughout the month of July. Admission to the park is $41.95 plus tax for adults and children, $38.95 plus tax for seniors 55 and older and free for children under two. Twilight admission, for guests arriving after 4 p.m., is $23.95 plus tax. Separate fees are required to play games in Sesame Playhouse. Sesame Place is located at 100 Sesame Road in Langhorne. For more information call 215-752-7070 or visit www.sesameplace.com.

Whether you are an avid fan of all things Sesame Street or simply a theme park enthusiast, Sesame Place offers an adventure and escape from the heat and boredom summer can often bring. Coasting down a waterway or watching a live show, playing games or riding a roller coaster, your family will have the perfect chance to share laughs and excitement at this fun summer getaway.